# Google™ get a clue. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 27, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907 "2003-02-27T16:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/1 "2003-02-27T16:12:48Z")
Notice the trademark symbol next to the word “Google” in the title (I hope it shows up on your browser)? Notice that I capitalized the word “Google” instead of the common lower case spelling usage? Why am I doing this? Why to avoid the big scary lawyers from Google™ who are acting like idjits about their service name. The WordSpy website had included a definition of “google” as > [@](#): > > To search for information on the Web, particularly by using the Google search engine; to search the Web for information related to a new or potential girlfriend or boyfriend. Google™’'s landsharks responded in kind with > [@](#): > > Dear Mr. McFedries: > I am trademark counsel for Google. I have recently become aware of a > definition of “google” on your website, [www.wordspy.com](http://www.wordspy.com). This definition > implies that “google” is a verb synonymous with “search.” Please note that > Google is a trademark of Google Technology Inc. Our brand is very > important to us, and as I’m sure you’ll understand, we want to make sure > that when people use “Google,” they are referring to the services our > company provides and not to Internet searching in general. I attach a copy > of a short, informative piece regarding the proper use of “Google” for your > reference. > We ask that you help us to protect our brand by deleting the definition of > “google” found at [wordspy.com](http://wordspy.com) or revising it to take into account the > trademark status of Google. Full story [here](http://www.kottke.org/). IANAL…but I note the following commentary… > [@](#): > > Cory Doctorow adds: > > Allowing the generic use of “to google” by critical/academic sites like WordSpy does _not_ constitute an abandonment of trademark (in fact, trademark abandonment involves a _very_ high standard that is far in excess of allowing people to casually use your mark). What’s more, trademark specifically does NOT protect your mark from use in criticism, parody, instruction, and other first amendment contexts. Me thinks the landsharks doth protest a wee bit much. DuckDuckGoose…you paying attention hun? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/2 "2003-02-27T16:39:56Z")
You think google would be happy about their name passing into everyday lexicon. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/3 "2003-02-27T16:47:22Z")
No more than the Yo-Yo or Linoleum people are. Everyone gets to use the names they came up with and they don’t get the money for it. I’m with Google on this one. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/4 "2003-02-27T16:57:57Z")
Let’s drown these lawyers in a sea of jello, or more properly Jello™.😛 ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/5 "2003-02-27T17:02:13Z")
I think I’ll print this out and make xeroxes of it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/6 "2003-02-27T17:04:45Z")
All this is giving me a headache. Anyone have any aspirin? Maybe a spin on my rollerblades will help. ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/7 "2003-02-27T17:06:40Z")
The wording of the definition is problematic. > [@](#): > > To search for information on the Web, particularly by using the Google search engine; to search the Web for information related to a new or potential girlfriend or boyfriend. Note the word _particularly_. Not _exclusively_. _Particularly_. So the wording of the definition does allow for the use of the verb “to google” to mean any old internet search. The Google lawyers said that the word google should only be used to refer to the Google product, not to refer to any Internet search. I don’t think they can stop a word that’s also a trademark being used as a regular word, and passing into the common lexicon. But it’s understandable that they’d want to point out that they’d prefer a verb “to google” to refer to their product exclusively. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/8 "2003-02-27T17:08:51Z")
Why google when you can [cthuugle](http://www.cthuugle.com/)? ---
**Author:** ![Hauky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@Hauky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hauky)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/9 "2003-02-27T17:09:10Z")
While it is pretty anal/probably wrong on Google’s part, I’ve never seen someone go to a different search engine after being told to “Google [blah]”. If you want to be more general, you just say “search for [blah].” And, honestly, I don’t know if I’d even call the lowercase version of google common at all, although maybe it is and I just haven’t paid attention. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/10 "2003-02-27T17:12:17Z")
Who is Cory Doctorow and what qualifications does he have for you to be citing his incorrect legal analysis? ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/11 "2003-02-27T17:12:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hauky \* > \*\* And, honestly, I don’t know if I’d even call the lowercase version of google common at all, although maybe it is and I just haven’t paid attention. \*\* When used as a **verb** (I “googled” a recipe for clam chowder, for example) …the lower case spelling is quite common. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/12 "2003-02-27T17:14:23Z")
They should just change the word on their site to **googol**. ---
**Author:** ![jamcracker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7993a0/32.png) [@jamcracker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jamcracker)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/13 "2003-02-27T17:32:23Z")
FWIW, William Gibson uses ‘Google’ as a verb meaning “to search” in his new novel Pattern Recognition. When the protagonist meets someone new, she says “Google you, I get?” (asking her new acquaintance to describe the results of a search on the acquaintance’s name). I’ve read about 1/2 the book, and he’s already used it a couple or three times. The examples two I remember most clearly had ‘google’ as the first word in a sentence, so I can’t be sure if the first letter is capitalized in Gibson’s usage. and it’s a rocking good book so far too ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/14 "2003-02-27T17:42:19Z")
I’m pretty surprised that anyone thinks Google is wrong on this one. I heard the story about it on NPR this morning, and the spokesman from WordSpy was VERY clear that his correspondance with Google was extremely courteous and friendly. This wasn’t a case of “landsharks” threatening anyone. This is a business protecting its name from becoming synonymous with something it’s not, much like earlier battles fought (and in some cases, lost) by Kleenex, Linoleum, Xerox, etc. For more, read [the column on this by the Master](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/meponym.html). In particular, see this bit: > [@](#): > > Words which have gone the way of “cola,” that is, former trademarks that have been ruled (legally) descriptive words, and therefore, no longer owned by the companies or individuals who invented them, include aspirin, brassiere, cellophane, corn flakes, escalator, granola, gunk, heroin, jungle gym, kerosene, linoleum, raisin bran, shredded wheat, tabloid, thermos, touch-tone, trampoline, yo-yo, and zipper. > > You can see, then, why companies would get stressed about this. There actually used to be a Zipper brand zipper, and any other metal, sliding fasteners had to come up with a name which simply wouldn’t be as, well, zippy, and therefore memorable and above all marketable. This issue does impact the Google brand, and they have every right to strive to protect it. Moreover, Google came to an agreement with WordSpy in which the dictionary would simply note that the word is trademarked. Why is that a big deal? ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/15 "2003-02-27T17:43:33Z")
And by “Master,” above, I mean, “SDSTAFF Ian.” ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/16 "2003-02-27T17:49:16Z")
“Writer’s Digest” magazine used to be full of ads from companies like Kimberly-Clarke, Xerox, and such asking writers not to use their trademarks as generic terms. ---
**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/17 "2003-02-27T18:00:46Z")
I’m with google a little bit. The definition should state “Search for information on the web using the Google™ search engine.” There should still be a definition, but it should reflect and respect the trademark. -lv ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/18 "2003-02-27T18:12:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*You think google would be happy about their name passing into everyday lexicon. \*\* No, they would be horrified. Ask the good folk at Zerox. These letters are SOP. They are not threats, rather requests to the individual. Most people simply do not know about this issue. Personally, I think they are fighting a losing battle on this one, but they have to at least try. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/19 "2003-02-27T18:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > All this is giving me a headache. Anyone have any aspirin? Maybe a spin on my rollerblades will help. You sure that’s what you need? Maybe a band-aid would be better. Or a popsicle to take your mind off the pain. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2003, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907/20 "2003-02-27T18:59:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Neurotik \* > \*\*All this is giving me a headache. Anyone have any aspirin? Maybe a spin on my rollerblades will help. \*\* Don’t forget your walkman. Keep the volume down though, because you have a headache. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/google-get-a-clue/157907.md?page=2)